Of benches and cancer
by Agent Siris
Summary: Agent Smith meets a foul-mouthed cancer patient.
1. Chapter 1

Smith was not even sure why he was here anyway. He had never spent his _'free time_' here before, and he saw no reason to be here now. But for some unknown reason, he was and there was not much he could do.

The mall.

It was an accursed place where humans—particularly adolescent humans—came to engage with others in social interactions. So many humans. He couldn't hide his disgust. _There were so many of them._ It boggled him to think of how many viruses actually inhabited The Matrix. **_  
_**

Again, he wondered why he was here in the _first_ place. Rebel activity had been slow the last few weeks. A couple of disruptions here and there, but nothing major. Usually, in uneventful periods of time, he would patrol the city with Jones and Brown, but apparently it wouldn't be the case this time.

On some form of impulse, he sat down on a nearby bench. It was by a store and he could not help but watch the humans, swarming in and out of it hurriedly. Like bees in a beehive. He sat there, face stoic, and he, being a sentient program did not move an inch.

Then to his surprise, a young human female sat beside him, probably not any older than twenty-one. And again, to his surprise, he sees that she drags a small oxygen tank behind her that is connected to her nose. She leans the tank on the side of the bench. The female sits back comfortably, adjusting her shirt.

He was glad she did not try to engage in useless chatter with him like he had seen many humans do in the past. She did not even acknowledge him at all, which was just fine with him. She simply watched the world around her. The female sat a little too close to his body than he was comfortable with, but due to lack of space, he didn't move.

Smith heard something crying. No, not something, _someone_ was crying. He turned his attention to the sound to find a little boy crying for his mother. He looked to be about seven. Smith, now intrigued of the situation, watches the small child with the utmost attention. The child's mother was nowhere to be seen. Smith sat up. He was genuinely curious of how this would play out.

Seconds past and nothing happened. The child continued to cry while everyone around him went right past him. Business as usual, it seemed. It baffled him to think that the same species who claimed to want world peace and had charity drives would ignore an innocent child.

"Unbelievable," The female beside him says, sounding extremely annoyed. It alarmed him because he had almost forgotten that she was even there. He looked at her, turning his head slightly toward her. "I mean, how could people just walk by the poor kid like that?"

He thought a moment more about it, then remarked, "You are not doing anything either."

"Good point."

She then got up and walked to the child, wheeling the oxygen tank with her. She kneels down the the boy's level, speaking in a comforting tone. He could not hear what she said. The child takes her hand and she gently leads him to a service area where he would be taken care of.

Looking rather pleased with herself, the female returns to the bench. The child was calmer now, sitting with a staff member while they contacted his parents. Tear streaks stained his face, and he sniffled. Mostly likely the parents would be here soon.

Sure enough, two rushing adults made their way to the service area. They hugged their child telling him that everything would be okay.

"That's not right." Said the female beside him.

"What is not?" He inquires.

"Those parent should not tell the everything would be okay. They shouldn't act like nothing could go wrong. That kid could have gotten kidnapped. And that, would not have been okay."

"I thought that was a method of calming a child down."

"A pretty shitty method if you ask me."

He was silent.

"I mean," She continued. "One day, that boy's mother will die. So what? The next time he gets lost, what will he do? Cry until his mother rises out of the goddamn grave?"

Smith had to arch his eyebrow at this. He had never met a human with such...views About the world. Never in his entire existence. He looked at her oxygen tank briefly, which did not go unnoticed by her.

"Cancer. I've got about three months to live." She says, voice emotionless.

Did she expect him to feel sorry for her? Her voice did not suggest that she did.

"I am..." He began, thinking hard on his words. He wasn't sorry for what happened to her, but perhaps he should say it anyway.

"You're not sorry. I can hear it in your voice. "

"It is hard to feel sympathy for someone I do not know." _Or any human, actually._

She looks back at him and smiled widely, a playful look crossing her features.

"Ain't that the truth." She says, laughing.

He cocks his head at her, giving her the oddest look he could manage. This was an odd human. Odd indeed.

"Shouldn't someone of your...predicament...be a little more...sad?" He didn't bother with sensitivity. There was no other way to ask and he was genuinely curious of her answer.

"I used to cry over my cancer, but then I figured, we're all gonna die, but I'm just gonna die sooner than I should. Not that I should be surprised. Life's a bitch."

Smith nodded his head. "It is inevitable. The sooner humans figure that out, the better."

She smiles mysteriously at him.

"I like you. You don't bullshit around, and pity me. You tell me how it is. That's good in a person."

He dismisses what she said quickly.

"Why are you here? Should you not be with your parents?"

"My parents think I'm depressed. So they insist that I 'be social'. How stupid is that? I just wish my parents would leave me alone. I'm going to die, and I don't want to hurt them. I just want to distance myself."

"Compassion and concern is almost impossible for humans to ignore, especially for one's child."

She laughs again, but more bitterly."Humans are stupid."

For once, he agrees with a human. "Yes. Humans are—as you say it—stupid."

"I like you." That was the second time she had said that. Had she really said that? Humans didn't like him and he didn't lior them. Plain and simple.

"You shouldn't."

"What?"

"You should not like me." He says flatly.

"Well too bad. I already do."

"A terrible decision, really."

She stuck her hand out in front of him. At first, he was unsure of her intentions, but he soon saw that she intended for them to shake hands. Disgusting. Why? Why him? Why did this human have to sit by him? Now she wanted to shake hands! Damn it. Damn it all to hell.

"My name is Selina."

He looked at her and the offending hand several times, thinking over his next move carefully.

"This is the part where you shake my hand and tell me your name." Was she mocking him?

Begrudgingly, he shook her hand.

"My name is Agent Smith."

Selina's eyes became wide, and curiosity and mischief sparkled in them.

"Woah. An government Agent. I guess I should have guessed from the earpiece and suit and that intimidating stare of yours."

He have her a hard look.

"Yep, that's the one!" She says, motion toward him.

He sighed. How could he not intimidate her? He gave the same stare to rebels and they spilled all their secrets, but not this human. No, this one simply laughed. He wanted to hit something or someone. Maybe both.

"Do you always talk to strangers?" He sounded annoyed and he knew it, but he couldn't keep it out of his voice.

"Only the ones that look like they hate the world."

Was she referring to him?

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you were just sitting here like you could terminate the whole world."

She tried to mimic his facial expression, turning the corners of her mouth down and glaring at the world. She looked more like a mad toddler more than anything. He wanted _so_ badly to hit something. She was infuriating. More infuriating than a rebel who didn't talk during interrogations.

"Were you not the one who just talked about how terrible the world was?"

"Yeah. Yeah I am. Ugh," She crossed her arms. "I don't know. Sometimes, as a human it's hard to not to be optimistic. One minute I'm happy. Another minute I would like to just punch someone in the face." She demonstrated this by getting up and hitting through the thin air several times. This drew attention to her, causing several people to look at them.

Smith was not embarrassed by this. Why should he?

After she had sat back down, he said, "You seem very contradictory in your opinions."

"I'm dying. My whole life is contradictory."

She looked at her watch and practically jumped out of the seat.

"Oh, shit! Shit! Shit! I should have left twenty minutes ago! I've got to go!"

Selina grabbed her oxygen tank hurriedly. Smith thought about helping her with it, but before he could do anything, she kissed him quickly on the cheek.

She winked at him.

"Just to screw with ya."

Then she was gone.

**A/N:I'm not even sure why I did this. It's the most random thing I've ever wrote. Tell me if you liked it! :) Who knows, maybe I could write a 2nd Chapter. Let me know in the Reviews.**


	2. Chapter 2

Selena tapped her fingers in rhythm to the music that the headphones blared into her ears. It was a fast song, full of short tight guitar riffs and long drawn out electrical buzzes. Tap. Tap. Tap. She liked to pass the time by trying to pick out how many instruments she could hear in the song; tried to hear the deep but still on-tune base, the violin that put a slight bounce into the song. Tap. Tap. Tap. The singer's haunting voice, cut through the beat. It was a beautiful song, to say the least. Maybe one day, before she died, she could see the band in concert. Yeah, that'd be nic-

A sharp tap on the shoulder interrupted her thoughts. A woman wearing a uniform stood over her and her chair.

"We'll take you back now, Miss Alexander."

Sigh.

"Yeah. Fine. Whatever." She answered, rising from the chair.

The woman led her to an small office where an older man sat, smiling like an old friend might.

"So, how are you feeling, Selena?"

"About as good as a stage four cancer patient can feel." Said Selena, sitting in the chair in front of his desk. She meant it more as a joke, but still, there was truth in what she said.

"You still have your sense of humor, though."

"What's life without a little laughter?"

The older doctor laughed, his eyes crinkling with age. He was in his late sixties, but was still entirely young at heart. Selena had stopped viewing him like a doctor for years now, and saw him as more of a grandfather more than anything. He was kind, and she had known him since she was twelve, which was when she was first diagnosed.

She had not chemotherapy for almost a year now, so her hair was still short. They stopped treating her because she was too far into the cancer for it to make any difference. Instead of chemotherapy, she came now just to talk to the older man. It helped with stress and helped here clear her thoughts.

"Anything new?" He asked, clasping his hands together and leaning forward in his chair.

Selena tilted her head to the side, deep in thought. She ran through the past month in her head mentally. Nothing seemed to stand out. Doctor's appointments, medicine, reading. Nothing really out of the ordinary. Well except...

"Actually, yes." Replied Selena, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. "A couple of days ago, I met a odd man named Agent Smith."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and he's just like the government agents in the movies. All work. No play. He was a bit of a fuddy-duddy, but still, I liked him."

"And why is that?"

"Not exactly sure. Guess he seemed intelligent." She smiled at the thought of the ever-frowning Agent.

"You seem like you enjoyed his company."

"It was rather fun to tease him."

"Maybe you will him again in the future."

"Yeah. Maybe I will."

* * *

1001...1002...1003...

Agent Smith believed he was what humans called a bit distracted. He couldn't seem to focus on any one thing. He knew he should be updating The Mainframe with the current rebel activity, but instead he was counting the code in a stapler.

1205...1206...1207... Damn, he lost count. Again. 1...2...3...

One thought kept invading everything else.

That human.

_Selena._

Yes, that was her name.

He cursed the fact that he sat down on the bench in the first place. He cursed the moment that he laid eyes on her. He cursed the moment he talked to her. He cursed everything about that day.

47...48...49...

Then the most confusing part of it...she kissed him.

If Smith had the actual need to consume food for nutrients, he probably would have vomited that food straight out. Disgusting. The thoughts that warred in his mind felt like a thousand nuclear bombs going off in his head all at once. It consumed his mind completely, without any sign of leaving anytime soon. Humans were, essentially an open book to him. He knew how they behaved, what they thought, which was why he could do his job so efficiently, but that human's action remained a complete mystery to him.

_"Just to screw with ya." _That was the only clue she gave him for her actions.

Why on Earth (ahem...Matrix) possessed her to do that?

578...579...580...

Of all humans he had came in contact with, she was most certainly the oddest one of them.

It angered him that she could confuse him so easily.

It angered him that she had the ability to anger him.

He demanded an answer for her actions.

He would find her.

* * *

Agent Smith mentally checked through all of the human's named Selena in The Matrix.

**/State Identity.../**

/Agent Smith. Version One. Code: 1101001/

**/State Business.../**

/Human Identity/

**/Name.../**

/Selena/

**/State subject's full name.../**

/Name unknown show all humans by that name. Picture included./

**/State reason for this information.../**

/Classified. Do as you are told./

A colossal list of humans appeared by the name Selena. Selena Rodriguez, Selena Roberts, Selena Patterson...

He checked the entire list simultaneously until he found one who matched her face.

**Name: Selena Valentine Alexander**

**Age: 24**

He had been wrong about her age.

**Mother: Leah Thompson**

**Father: John Alexander**

Smith found her phone number, and acquired a cellphone.

'I must be completely insane,' He thought to himself.

Then he called her.

* * *

Selena's phone rang, and awoke her instantly.

'Who the hell would be calling me at this time?' She thought, pulling off her blanket. She looked at the caller I.D. only to find that no number was presented.

Unknown Caller.

She almost let it go to voicemail. It was late and she was hardly in the mood to talk, but something told her to answer it.

She did.

"Hello?"

There was hesitation on the other line, as if the caller wasn't sure to speak.

"Selena?" A man's voice, it sounded very familiar to her.

"Who it this?"

"...It's me.."

"Agent Smith?"

"Yes."

"How did you get my number? Do you have any idea what time it is?" She smiled at the surprise caller, and sat up in her bed immediately.

"I need to speak to you." He said, completely ignoring her questions.

"Why?"

"I just do."

"Is it really that important?"

"Extremely."

She sighed, running her hand through her hair. "Fine. Um, I know a good coffee shop just two blocks down from the mall we met at. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Good."

Then the line clicked off.

Selena quickly threw on a black shirt and jeans, and grabbed a fifty dollar bill that laid on her dresser. She probably looked shitty, though she was never one to care what people thought. The oxygen tank was always a pain to get through her doorframe, but with a quick tug she tore it through the door. It was cold outside her apartment, and cold weather often made her lungs function even more shitty than usual. Since she had did not have a car, Selena would have to walk there.

She would have to walk slow, or she might lose a lung before she had a chance to even get to the coffee shop.

Damn lungs.

* * *

"You're lucky you called the only lung cancer patient in the city that is willing to meet you at coffee shop in three eighteen in the morning." Selena said, taking a seat in a booth with a particularly stressed looking Agent.

When he said nothing, she asked, "What did need to talk to me about?"

"I would like a reason for you actions." Smith replied.

Actions?

"What do you mean?"

"In the mall you...kissed me. And I wish to know why."

Selena laughed, which caused him to cock his head to the side. Why did she always laugh at him? It wasn't as if he ever did anything that would be classified as funny or ridiculous, but despite that fact, she still laughed at him. Without question, he did not like it when she did.

When she was quite done laughing, she answered. "Not everything happens for a reason, you silly man."

"I beg to differ."

"Why?"

"Everything has a purpose. Without purpose, life would be meaningless."

A waitress came and took their order.

"Sometimes people do things, just to do it. Sometimes, there isn't a reason for why things happen the way they do," She smiled. "for example, when I kissed you, I didn't have a reason. I just did."

"That's not a very sufficient answer."

"That's the best I can do, G-Man."

Their coffee was served. Selena left her coffee black while Smith put a gigantic amount of sugar into his.

"Jesus, would like some *coffee* with that sugar? You have enough sugar in there to kill an elephant."

Smith looked up at her through his sunglasses.

"I dislike the bitterness."

She shrugged.

"I always sorta liked it."

They were silent for a moment, but Selena did not feel the least bit awkward. She actually enjoyed the silence that was between them. They were the only ones in the café, save the exhausted looking waitress. The café had many bookshelves that were filled with older looking books, which wasn't surprising because the café had been here since she was born.

"How long have you been a government agent?"

Smith wondered how she would react if he told her the truth. _'Oh, you know, just five versions of a simulated world that you humans are not even aware of.' _That probably wouldn't go over well.

"A...very long time." That was the best he come up with.

"Be specific." Damn her.

"Longer than you have been alive."

"That's not very specific."

"That's as specific as I will be."

"It can't be older than thirty years. You don't look much older than in your mid forties."

That was almost a laughable assumption.

"Looks can be deceiving, I assure you."

"Mysterious."

"Indeed."

"How'd you become an Agent?"

"Let's just say...I didn't have much of a choice."

"You don't enjoy your job?"

"What I do, doesn't require me to."

"That's just sad."

He hardly agreed.

"Explain."

"You should do something you enjoy."

"Like?"

"Damn, I don't know. What do you enjoy?"

_'Hmm, let's see...Killing your kind...Yep that's about it.'_

"I do not know." Smith replied.

A sly grin crept across her face.

"Well, maybe I could help you with that."

Help him? How could she possibly help him?

"How so?" Smith asked.

"Once every week, you could meet me somewhere, and I could help you find out what you enjoy."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Aww, come on. Don't reject a dying girl's wish."

His entire body told him to say no. Just say no. Just say no. Just say-

"...Alright..." He complied.

She yelped in delight.

"Awesome! I guess I'll meet you somewhere tomorrow afternoon?" She asked, exiting the booth.

"...I suppose so..."

"Good."

He exited the booth as well.

"Goodbye, Agent Smith."

"Goodbye."

* * *

**A/N: Guess What? I'm not dead! I am super sorry for not posting in, like, two months. I decided to do a second chapter for this instead of updating Prison because you guys really seem to like my character. (Sorry, Illuminated, I love you so much for sticking with me. I'll post a chapter when I can. I promise.) If you'd like me to post a third chapter, let me know with a review. **

**Also, please check out one of my favorite fic writers ever. Her name is HardfacedqueenofMisadventure. She is a wonderful writer and she has helped me with writing as well. I'm giving her a shoutout in appreciation to her.**


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